Andy Reid noted Monday night that quarterback Donovan McNabb would keep his starting job and start on Thanksgiving against the Arizona Cardinals.

“Donovan is the quarterback. I don’t want to leave here until you understand that,” coach Andy Reid emphasized at his news conference Monday. “Donovan is the quarterback for this football team.”

“Sometimes you have to step back to step forward in a positive way and Donovan will do that,” Reid said. “This has nothing to do with Kolb’s performance or Donovan’s performance.”

“As I sit here right now, he’s my starting quarterback,” Reid said. “I need to coach better. Donovan needs to play better and the guys around Donovan need to play better.”

“I think I know Donovan McNabb better than anybody in this room,” Reid said. “I know [seven] turnovers, that’s not him. That’s no part of his game. You back up an inch and you evaluate it and you should be able to step forward a mile after that.”

So what if McNabb plays poorly again in the first half? Does an unprepared Kolb then go back in? The mess has only begun in Philly. McNabb could do himself and Reid a huge favor with a solid performance.